If you have contacted Brooks on Twitter (@BrooksRunning), chances are you have interacted with our customer service representative Keely O’Neill. Her Twitter responses have likely made you laugh and provided helpful information. This fall, Keely is partnering with Brooks Run B’Cause corporate giving program to not only help everyone run and be active, but to also help those struggling with colon cancer.

Here at Brooks, we not only want to support everyone to run and be active, but also to make a difference in our community. Brooks Run B’Cause program is designed to do just that. Through the Run B’Cause program, Brooks sponsors individuals and organizations who strive to positively impact their community by donating running shoes, apparel and time. Over the past year, Brooks employees have cooked a dinner for the Ronald McDonald House, worked with the Conservation Alliance to help clean local parks, and spent a day working with Pasado Safe Haven, one of the premier animal rescue organizations in the U.S..

On Nov. 6, Brooks Run B’Cause program will be supporting Keely’s Get Your Rear in Gear 5k Run/Walk; a race that aims to raise awareness of the most preventable and treatable cancers and to raise money to improve screening and support for those impacted by colon cancer.

Get Your Rear in Gear is a 5K fundraiser that promotes colon cancer awareness

In 2008, Keely lost her mom after an unexpected yearlong battle with colon cancer. “My mom was always health-conscious and became an avid runner during the last ten years of her life. One day she had a pain in her side that prompted her to see a doctor. After doctors reached the decision to do a colonoscopy they found a large tumor in her colon that had been growing undetected for eight years,” said Keely. “My mom, Meg, always put others first and loved to make people laugh, even throughout her toughest struggle. Just weeks after her surgery, she walked part of a previously scheduled half marathon with my aunt. She still had us laughing through her chemotherapy and never lost hope in her fight.”

Keely plans on taking a lighthearted educational approach in the 5k run/walk that will encourage people to find strength and comfort in talking about colons cancer. The Colon Cancer Coalition oversees Get Your Rear in Gear races across the country which increase awareness, raise funds and provide support for those who have been affected by colon cancer.

If you or your organization is interested in applying for a donation from Brooks please visit http://bit.ly/qdUl0D for more information.

About Kristen

Kristen has worked for Brooks since summer 2011 and is an addicted runner. She ran in the Big 10 conference for The Ohio State University where she recently finished her master’s degree in Communication. Kristen is now running half-marathons (with a PR of 1:18:41) and full marathons (2:45:46). Kristen is a 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier.